To document and record all species of animals and birds recorded in the Amersham District, including Little Chalfont, Amersham, Chesham, Chenies, Latimer, Hyde Heath, Chesham Bois, Old Amersham and Shardeloes Lake

Recording Area Annual Totals

97 Species in 2013, 99 in 2012, 94 in 2011, 108 species were recorded in 2010;

Wednesday, 19 May 2010

More GARDEN WARBLERS and first CUCKOOS of year

WEDNESDAY 19 MAY

A beautiful day with long spells of warm sunshine and clear periods. The wind was light and variable and the afternoon temperature reached 20 degrees C, one of the warmest days of the year so far.

Following up on a report from last night, I failed in my quest to locate some local Common Cuckoos, but did manage to connect with a fine breeding-plumaged adult Grey Plover.......

MARTIN'S TOP FARM AND FARMLAND SOUTH OF FLAUNDEN (BUCKS) (TQ 013 996)

Joan Thompson had discovered two calling COMMON CUCKOOS in the Observatory area south of Flaunden (at TQ 013 001) Tuesday evening, representing the first record for my Recording Area this year. Keen to see them, I ventured out there this morning and evening but failed in my quest to locate them. I took the opportunity to do a full inventory of the area, the highlights being breeding Bullfinch and numerous Yellowhammers. The number of singing Common Whitethroat was also noteworthy.

Common Buzzard (1 hunting over fields in evening)EURASIAN SKYLARK (3 different singing males)Dunnock (4); Wren (1 by farm)Common Blackbird (3+ pairs)Mistle Thrush (1 flew over calling)Blackcap (male singing in Baldwin's Wood with another two by the Wireless Station)GARDEN WARBLER (male singing from scrub by Wireless Station compound)COMMON WHITETHROAT (3 present, with single singing males by the Observatory, in the western hedgerow and in the hedgerow just north of the farm)COMMON CHIFFCHAFF (2 singing males by Wireless Station)Blue Tit (2 pairs)Common Magpie (pair)Chaffinch (common, with at least 7 pairs noted)BULLFINCH (pair breeding in orchard by Martin's Top Farm)Goldfinch (pair in Flaunden village)Linnet (4 birds noted)House Sparrow (22 counted in Flaunden village)YELLOWHAMMERS (a total of 4 singing males in the hedgerows bordering the large rape field NW of Martin's Top Farm - 2 females also seen with nesting suspected)

Chris Pontin had recorded a very late LITTLE EGRET here on Sunday and had noted 10 singing male COMMON WHITETHROATS in the area. Several of these were still present this morning along with a very showy male GARDEN WARBLER in the tall Oak by the entrance to the reserve. A singing male Blackcap was opposite, whilst two male Common Chiffchaffs were still in full song.

A Red Fox was showing well out in the open, with a European barn Swallow around Mill Farm, the male GOLDCREST still singing from the single evergreen there and Green Woodpecker noted. The Common Kestrels have returned to their nesting tree of last year.

CHAFFINCH HOUSE, LITTLE CHALFONT (BUCKS)

COMMON SWIFTS have now increased to four, whilst the nesting House Sparrows now have noisy young. Coal Tits are frequently visiting the feeders, as are at least 2 Goldfinches.

About Me

I have been birding since 1969 but became obsessed with 'twitching' in 1974 and haven't looked back since. Have driven over 1.3 million miles in pursuit of rare birds in the UK, where to date I have recorded 588 species in Britain and Ireland. I also have a fascination for the Birds of the Western Palearctic, where I have currently recorded 880 of the 1,064 species ever recorded. I am widely travelled in North America, as well as in Africa and Asia, and have written at least 29 books on my chosen subject, including best-sellers ''Ultimate Site Guide to Scarcer British Birds' and 'Rare Birds in Britain 1800-1990'. Established the UK400 Club in 1981 to cater for the most obsessive of the British birding fraternity and now concentrate on online publishing, via the www.uk400clubonline.co.uk website. Record Birding achievements include recording 386 species in Britain & Ireland in 1996 and 627+ in the Western Palearctic in 2008